Local and state law enforcement agencies are working to make the Halloween weekend safe for residents. The Town of Woodbury has requested that persons wishing to “trick or treat” will do it tonight (Saturday).Woodbury Chief of Police Tony Burnett reminds parents that the city curfew is 10:00pm. Cannon County Sheriff Darrell Young will have extra patrols on the county’s highways this weekend.
The Tennessee Highway Patrol will do its part to ensure those celebrating Halloween enjoy the fall tradition responsibly and safely. Trick-or-treaters, parents and adult party goers are encouraged to follow a few simple rules to avoid becoming a scary statistic.
Nearly 5,000 people in the U.S. died in crashes during the Halloween time period from 1996-2005. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), in 2008, 58 percent of all highway fatalities across the nation on Halloween night involved a driver or motorcycle rider with a Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) of .08 or higher.
Last year in Tennessee, two people were killed in two crashes on Halloween between midnight and 6 am. Both of those crashes involved alcohol. That compares to seven people killed in six crashes on Halloween during the same time period in 2008. Four out of the six fatal crashes in 2008 involved alcohol.
Halloween is the most dangerous day of the year for pedestrian injuries and deaths among young children. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) found that the number of deaths among young pedestrians (ages 5-14) is four times higher on Halloween evening than any other evening of the year.
